HELP ME
by Aurora Leaf
Summary: Roxas goes on a ten day mission to the Underworld but things go horribly wrong. Axel makes a desperate attempt to save him... but will he succeed? RP Drabble.


_Preta's Note: This is a drabble I wrote for a segway into a major plot thread coming up in the rp group I'm involved in on Facebook. I enjoyed writing it so much I figured I'd throw it up here because why not/I had way too much fun writing as Phil. For a little context, Roxas was sent on a ten day mission to Olympus/The Underworld and things go horribly wrong. This is Axel's attempt to save him the first time. They are not romantically involved ( **y E T**... cOUGH... cough) but the feels are so real. OTL _

* * *

/ H͜͏̴̛͡ȩ̸͝l̨͘͞p̷̧̛ me̴̸͞ /

/ A̶͞͝͏͠x̧̧̛͠é͘͜͞͞l̡͘͜.̶͘.̨.͏͟͠ I҉͏..̧̀.̶̡ ́Ì c̢a̧n͢'̛t̨̕ .̵̵̶͝ m̢͠ơ̶̢͟͏v̵͘̕e̢̢ /

/ A̢̧̧̕X҉́E̢̕͡͠L̨͡I̵̛̛͢͢'̕̕͜M͏͏̶̧͠ Ş̸C̷A̛͠͠͠R͞ED /

/ I̴'̡͞M͝ ̴̡̢͜S̕͢O҉̴̛͢͡R̛͟Ŗ̢̛͘͠Y̛͜ /

Roxas' desperate cries through corrupted text reached him through electronic means, a precaution taken on Axel's part to keep tabs on him during his ten day mission. Something had gone horribly wrong. They raked through his brain and drudged up what he knew this mission had been all along. A test of might or loyalty may have been it's label, but with each disturbing message piling one on top of the other he could only draw one conclusion; This was a suicide mission.

Drawing clues from context in previous messages Axel abandoned his own post that had been assigned to him earlier in the day to search for Roxas with what felt like the weight of the world on his shoulders and a lump in his throat the he couldn't swallow. There was no time for taunts laced with a sultry condescending tone once he'd finally tracked down Philoctetes, affectionately referred to simply as 'Phil,' the younger Nobody had mentioned. Broken porcelain and clay crumbled beneath his boots and fire spewed from his words, more than prepared to use some of his most intimidating methods of persuasion to get the satyr to give him the information he wanted. _Where. Was. Roxas?_

Phil talked big game, refusing to divulge anything about his most recent trainee without being given the respect he claimed to deserve. Pity. With each refusal the Flurry smashed surrounding memorabilia of his star pupil's conquest with the most ominous of grins. Once he ran out of things to smash... Phil would be next. Without his top muscleman Hercules around to come to his rescue he eventually cracked under the Nobody's influence. For two and a half days the boy had trained in the coliseum in preparation for an upcoming tournament before taking off to The Underworld despite Phil's attempts to stop him, he claimed. He sounded apprehensive, almost as if he were worried about Roxas' well being too.

Axel pried for more information. The prize of the tag team tournament was none other than the Olympus Stone, a trinket of magic that would give its owner the ability to traverse The Underworld safely; an essential tool Roxas needed to complete his objective. Then what had drawn him to the depths of the dead prematurely? In the spirit of the sport no amount of persuasion could get Phil to forfeit the Stone for Axel's use. Time was of the essence and he was wasting it talking to the jaded satyr. With Ever's untimely yet temporary demise Axel had finally been able to sleep and was back in peak physical condition for the first time in over a month. He was confident he'd be able to track Roxas down before succumbing to The Underworld's curse. Within minutes he left through a corridor to reach the infamous spirit world.

The moment he stepped out of the corridor of darkness into the dreary cave he immediately understood what Phil had meant. A glance to his gloved hands showed the saturated black hue had faded to an off-grey, thousand upon thousands of screeching souls of the dead that drifted through this plane zeroing in on the essence of the living that had intruded upon this unholy land. An invisible cord had been strung from the Nobody into the deepest depths of The Underworld, one that slowly began to siphon his strength with each step and breath he took.

It was a daunting reality but Axel was not deterred. He'd come prepared for the long haul and wasted no time to hurry his way down into the deepest depths of the realm of the damned while cutting down Heartless that dared to get in his way. There truly was a surplus of them here, nearly to the extent of which plagued the canyons of Hollow Bastion. Perhaps there was a bit of truth to the Superior's concern. Calculated steps and evasion tactics were utilized to avoid unnecessary conflict that would cost him valuable energy but for those he could not escape he exercised no mercy. Roxas was here somewhere… he refused to let himself think for a moment that he had surrendered to his fate. He had to hold his tongue to keep from calling out the blonde's name for fear it would draw greatly unwanted attention to himself from the Heartless as well as this world's inhabitants, but there was a time or two in which he slipped.

"Roxas!" The Valley of the Dead past the Passage was large and teeming with Heartless, filled with enemies that were all too eager to answer the redhead's call. Teeth clenched as flaming chakrams helped to keep them at bay but he could only keep this up for so long. Roxas had been down here for nearly two days… he had to be very, very weak. There's a chance he had no strength to answer back or couldn't because it would compromise his position, or in the worst-case scenario he wasn't even conscious.

Hook Bats, Zap Slashers and Lance Soldiers seemed to crawl out of every crevice to assault the intruder and steadily pushed him to the limit solely because of their numbers rather than strength. If he didn't try to make a getaway soon he would become overwhelmed. Chakrams fizzled from his palms in a flash of fire and smoke, slamming his fist down into the cold earth and split the crust wide in all directions from the source of the blow like glass. From the crevices spewed red-hot fire and magma that was sure to slow down some of his oncoming assailants as he dragged his chakrams back out through the blaze. A great leap out of the fray knocked the breath from his lungs and made him stagger as the affects of the Underworld's curse upon him started to finally take it's toll. With more Heartless coming up from behind that he could see in his peripheral vision he made the split second decision to exit the Valley through a corridor that swallowed him up beneath his feet and brought him back to the entrance.

"Damn…" A hand released the leather grip of one of the weapons, it's sharpened spears piercing the ground where it fell as he brought that hand to his chest and gripped the front of his coat. He wasn't the type to get winded so quickly. All the progress he'd made from nights of peaceful sleep for once were coming undone in less than a day. Going back into the Valley would be dangerous in this state, though a hunch told him that if Roxas were there he would have at least heard or seen him by now. Green eyes glanced towards another path in the opposite direction, one that lead deep into the lower caverns. He reached down to retrieve his fallen chakram, tugging it from the ground harshly and began his trek in the opposite route.

The path was narrow and seemingly empty, which made Axel feel comfortable enough to cast a few calls of the boy's name into the void. Hopefully his voice would carry far enough ahead of him to maybe get some kind of response.

He'd nearly lost Roxas once over a month and a half ago when the blonde had discovered all the hidden truths about Sora and even Ventus in Castle Oblivion. The two had clashed in battle and Axel emerged victorious but it had taken quite a bit of time to rebuild the friendship that had become fragmented as a result. Of course this would happen as soon as they both came to terms with what happened… of course. Axel just couldn't get a break these days. He'd sworn no harm would come to Roxas from the other members for his slight on his behalf, and that vow of protection extended further to cover ensuring his safety in general. He should have gone with Roxas when he had the chance, he /knew/ this wouldn't end well and yet he tried to give his friend the chance he needed to get back into the Organization's good graces. He definitely didn't put it past Xemnas to possibly mask this mission of execution as a mission of redemption.

The winding path eventually gave way to an atrium, a wide and empty space leading up to a pair of doors that looked as though they were locked tight. Some promise. Axel cast a cautious glance from one side of the room to the other from the mouth of the path, knowing deep down in his gut that big empty rooms like this were never as empty as they appeared. Hands tightened on the handles of his chakrams as he pressed on, tightly wound and expecting some form of ambush.

And that's exactly what he got. A vast multitude of Soldiers and Large Bodies tumbled from the darkness before his eyes once he'd made it halfway across the room.

"Tch..!"

Flames erupted from each spearhead on both chakrams, taking a wide step back as he threw both of them at the group of Heartless in front of him. They tore across the room and slammed into a pair of Soldiers clamoring their way in his direction before striking the large round bellies of a Large Body and threw them off course. With their arc interrupted Axel had to reform them in his hands again as his assault aggravated the rest of the Heartless in the room. Sweat poured down his face and muscles screamed with fatigue as the brawl dragged on. The Soldiers were easy enough to pick off but the Large Bodies were practically invulnerable from the front end, requiring some quick maneuvering on his part to get behind them and slam his chakrams into their more defenseless backside. Eventually all that remained were Large Bodies and they were not above barreling into each other as they charged at the Nobody, making for an even more volatile and dangerous situation. The wear and tear on Axel's body was becoming extreme and he was quickly losing steam. He had to keep going, he couldn't go back the way he came knowing he'd left part of the world unexplored where Roxas could be and he had to defeat these Heartless so he could address the door.

In the midst of one of his attacks on one of the large emblem Heartless another Large Body finally succeeded in slamming itself into the exhausted Nobody by sliding into him and sent him flying into the nearest wall only a few yards away. Axel hit the wall with a loud pained grunt, falling in a heap as pain from the impact stunned him. The nearby shockwaves of another Heartless jumping nearby hindered his attempts to recover and made his ankles buckle under him haphazardly. A hiss through his teeth came out when he tried to put pressure on it—he'd twisted his ankle.

A giant black fist slammed into him, knocking him back once more. He began to feel his strength wavering. The flames dousing his chakrams had started to dwindle as the onslaught continued, only half of his attempts to parry managing to work out for him until he was knocked off his feet again. He couldn't go on much longer but he couldn't run away knowing Roxas was still out there. Axel couldn't abandon him, not like this.

A particularly well-aimed punch knocked him right in the chest, tossing him again like a rag doll into a beaten heap onto the ground. He could no longer keep a grip on his chakrams and the weapons disappeared from his hands in a pathetic burst of embers. He'd bitten his tongue at some point during that last hit and tasted iron, spitting the blood onto the ground as he struggled to get back to his feet.

Roxas…

If he stayed, he would surely die here. Then there would be no one to save him.

The trio of Large Bodies scrambled between themselves until they started thundering their way over to where Axel had only managed to get to his knees on the ground. An angered fist hit the ground and a frustrated cry fell from the redhead's bloodied mouth as yet another corridor opened beneath him and whisked him away from the fray.

The quietness of the darkness only provided temporary relief before the shadows deposited him back into the sandy courtyard of the Coliseum. The quiet crackle of the torches scattered around the perimeter was his only companion as he brought a sandy hand to his face and squeezed his eyes shut tightly, his other arm shaking as he fought to keep himself propped up. He was disgusted with himself; he couldn't believe that he had fallen so easily. The satyr had warned him of how dangerous it was to go into the Underworld without the Olympus Stone but Axel had merely brushed him off. He thought he could handle it. He thought…

" _There_ 'e is!"

Phil's obnoxious voice rang in Axel's ears, blinking as vision adjusted to the stark brightness his eyes were not yet accustomed to to see the trainer of heroes himself come stomping out of the coliseum towards him. "Well, where is he, didya find him? You went around tearin' up my merchandise, you better not've come back here empty handed!"

"…What does it look like?" the Nobody heaved a pained breath as he dragged himself up on his feet, biting back a pained noise when he put weight on his bad ankle. Axel never half-assed when it came to combat. He unquestioningly pushes himself to the limit and it is only then he can allow himself to retreat and feel good about it. Phil opened his mouth to say something but then quickly closed it, a solemn frown on his face once he both heard the news and saw Axel's state.

"I told both o' ya that goin' down there's bad news!" That brief somber moment disappeared as quickly as it came as Phil tromped his way up to the battered Flurry, thick brows furrowed and his frown taking a turn towards irritated. "But what do I know, 'ey? What am I, chopped liver?! You can't go down inta the Underworld without the Olympus Stone if y' don't wanna end up sleeping with the fishes."

"If you're so concerned about your newest trainee then I don't see why you couldn't have just given it to me." That was what was ticking Axel off about the whole situation. The key to Roxas' salvation was right in front of him and yet it was merely a hair's breadth out of his reach. He couldn't keep standing on his own, he had to take a step or two to the left and prop himself up against a nearby pillar as he tried to catch his breath.

"I told you already my hands are tied." Phil answered with a shake of his head. "It's already been advertised as the grand prize, I can't just go givin' it to some shady lookin' Joe Blow off the street! 'Sides, Herc's the one who's got it but he won't be back until the tournament tomorrow."

Axel was fuming. He wanted to do something about this **now.** The thought of leaving Roxas down there for one more day was putting a strain on him that he was having a hard time trying to handle but the chips had fallen and he didn't have much of a choice. All of the energy he had finally reacquired after having a horrible sleeping schedule thanks to his and Ever's shared nightmare had left him while in the Underworld. He was in no shape to take a second dive. Gloved fingers curled inward on the surface of the pillar, swallowing back a scowl.

"Guess that means I've only got one other option. Sign me up for the tournament."

"Newsflash! I got three words for you, buddy: You. Need. A. Partner." Someone please put this satyr back in kindergarten and teach him how to count. "I feel for ya, I really do. That friend of yours a good kid—But it's a tag team showdown and I'm not takin' solo entries. The tournament's gonna start whether you show up or not."

"I wouldn't be telling you to sign me up if I didn't have one." Axel answered sharply, casting a small glare at Phil as his breathing finally started to regulate, but only barely. He had finally mustered up the strength to push himself off of the pillar he had propped himself up against, ready to leave. "Put me down and we'll be there."

"Wait wait wait, hold up!" The half-man, half-goat skidded across the sand and dug his hooves into the earth as he skidded in front of the retreating Nobody in an almost comical fashion, throwing his thick arms out at his sides. "You gotta give me names! I can't just write down 'Sad Clown and Company' on the roster…. Unless, y'know, that's what you wanna be introduced as in the ring. Then hey, that's your business."

Axel liked to think he had a good sense of humor but he was definitely /not/ in the mood to appreciate Phil's joke. The scowl that came to his face as a result said as much. None of this was a laughing matter; there was life on the line that they both mutually hoped to save. A pulse of pain in his upper arm made a gloved hand reach across his abdomen to grasp it, applying pressure in hopes to relieve it until he could return home and tend to it.

"The name's Axel. Get it memorized." No introduction on the Flurry's part went without the appropriate tag line in some shape or form. The name of his partner lingered on his tongue, brows knitting in a moment of uncertainty before he continued speaking. "…And my partner's name is Ever Aella."

"Yeesh, it's always the crazy names with the newbies." Phil groaned as he threw up his hands. He must have had a gripe over Roxas' name as it did sort of stick out as unusual culturally for this world and had been rather vocal about it. "Axel, Ever Aella, got it. I'll put ya both down. "

It was one risky gamble after another. He knew Ever was back because of the message he had received from her regarding Roxas' unsettling posts but he was still bitter about their fallout. There may be some pretty hard feelings on her end about helping him now but at this point he was far past asking nicely. Roxas was her friend too, or had been at a time. The fickle nature of emotions and holding on to the past may help sway her.

"Fine." Axel released his arm to lift it at his side as he stepped around Phil as a gesture of farewell, doing his best to hide his limp as he headed back to the front gate so that he could corridor his way back to the castle once he was out of sight. "I'd go ahead and consider the tournament won."

"That's some big talk comin' from someone looking like they've just been through the ringer!" Phil called out to him, but Axel cared not to respond. If fortune was on his side he'd find Ever back at her beachside home quickly. That had to be addressed before he could even think about getting any rest.

 _'We're coming for you, Roxas. Just hang on for one more night…'_


End file.
